Making other people the instrument of your own happiness will backfire sooner or later. The less you expect from others and turn those expectations into your own triumphs, the more happy you’ll be able to make yourself.

Three mantras get me through my inevitable low moments, or even prevent them: 1. Be grateful. 2. No Expectations. 3. Let It Go. In this and the next two blog posts, I show you how these mantras work for me – and how they can work for you, too.

Are you afraid to go to work because your boss might assign you a blushworthy task? Here’s how telling him about your erythrophobia could help you deal with the terror of a major, embarrassing “episode” at work.